Death eaters: MEET NATURE'S SCAVENGERS -- Coming October 2018!

Talking about Bigfoot is typical for me. I've written two books featuring the big guy -- so far. In talking about the mysterious creature, I explain that proof will only come by way of finding a body, and no such corpse has ever been found. Then I explain the efficiency of our planet's ecosystem. When an animal dies, the death eaters clean up the mess.

That discussion inspired my next book -- DEATH EATER: MEET NATURE'S SCAVENGERS (Millbrook/Lerner 2018). And it walks young readers 8 to 12 through the remarkable process of recycling bodies after life has run its course -- on dry land and in watery places, including the Pacific ocean.

It's been such a fascinating study -- beyond interesting, from A to Z. It's a little bit gross, I know. But it's also a whole lot of amazing. Hope you'll think so, too!

Book Reviews and honors

Death Eaters: Meet Nature's Scavengers.By Kelly Milner HallsOct. 2018. 40p. illus. Lerner/Millbrook, lib. ed., $33.32 (9781512482003). Gr. 3–6. 591.7​Halls enthusiastically breaks down the decomposition process in this systematic look at scavengers. Her introduction establishes death as a necessary part of the life cycle, declaring, “Sure, it’s gross, but it is also amazing.” Her sense of wonder permeates the text, which strikes an admirable balance between putrescent and matter-of-fact details. After outlining the five stages of vertebrate decomposition, Hall devotes chapters to general categories of scavengers and decomposers (insects, mammals, birds, and marine critters) in the basic order in which they arrive at a carcass. The book’s clean layout features well-chosen and positioned photos, diagrams, and fact boxes that make even gruesome information easy to digest. Flies and flesh-eating maggots get the ball rolling, followed by opportunistic eaters, such as raccoons, hyenas, and even bears. Avian appetites are triggered next, allowing seagulls, crows, and vultures to swoop in. A quick dip into the sea reveals a clean-up crew of crustaceans and bone-eating worms. By providing context and a big-picture approach to death, Hall equips young readers with understanding from which comfort and awe can grow.

After breaking down the stages of decomposition (which do “not smell good”), Halls dishes up profiles of some of nature’s recyclers—from blowfly larvae (“born to eat”) and the culinarily “versatile” pill bug to vultures, crabs, and human motorists. (“Why let the meat go to waste?” says a Washington state fish and wildlife official pragmatically about harvesting roadkill.) Along with dissecting decomposition’s usual course, the author offers piquant research findings, such as the surprisingly divergent fates of pig corpses planted on the seabed in well- and less-well-oxygenated waters as well as recently discovered evidence that T. Rex was a hunter as well as a scavenger. The relegation of the fullest mentions of bacteria and fungi to the end conveys a misleading impression that their work doesn’t begin until the bigger dogs (etc.) have had their fills, but the course of all deceased animals from corpse to scattered chemicals is otherwise clearly charted. Big, bright color photos of, for instance, salmon being torn apart by a bald eagle and a raccoon chowing down on a dead squirrel add further zest to these easily digestible observations.

“Gross,” to echo the author, but “also amazing.” (index, further reading) (Nonfiction. 7-10)

School Library JournalOctober 2018

HALLS, Kelly Milner. Death Eaters: Meet Nature’s Scavengers. 40p. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. notes. photos. websites. Millbrook. Oct. 2018. Tr $33.32. ISBN 9781512482003.Gr 4-7–Readers who enjoy the gross side of life (and death) will find this title to their liking. Halls begins with the death of a wild boar, and describes what and how the process of decomposition takes place. One chapter describes creepy-crawly creatures, such as blowflies, maggots, roly-polys, burying beetles, and meat ants. Furry animals, such as squirrels, skunks, and raccoons, hunt for their food, but are also willing to enjoy a free carrion meal. Halls also explains how various sea creatures help remove dead matter form the oceans. The author briefly describes “sky burials,” which often take place in the mountains of Mongolia and Tibet in which a human corpse is offered to the vultures of the Larung Valley. (Family is permitted to observe the ritual, but tourists are not.) Burial at sea is also mentioned. Color photos of excellent quality vary in size, including full-page. Some captions are enlightening, while others repeat information already found in the longer narrative. White print in red boxes adds a great deal to the informative text. VERDICT Though there may be many “oohs” and “yucks” from readers, this may well be a popular title. A top purchase for robust collections.–Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS

Here in the Pacific Northwest, there is creature that one is likely to see when going for a walk on a forest trail. No, not Bigfoot. A banana slug! They may or may not have spots, depending on the species, but all will surely be doing what banana slugs do best: consuming dead plant material (and even animal droppings) and processing it into soil humus. And while banana slugs are not technically scavengers - they are detritivores - this got me thinking about the role that both play in our world's ecosystems. And about a new book from veteran children's author, always one to give us great titles on weird subjects, Kelly Milner Halls. In Death Eaters: Meet Nature's Scavengers (for Millbrook Press/Lerner Publishing Group), she provides a thorough overview of the the process of death in nature, the role of scavengers, and the variety of scavengers (organized into four chapters covering creepy-crawly, furry, sky-bound, and sea-bound death eaters). By learning about scavengers, Milner Halls hopes that readers will gain a new appreciation for the process of life and death, and that "learning about decomposition will fill you with wonder." Have you ever wondered, if scavengers did not exist, how a forest floor might look - and smell - like? Scavengers are an always welcome addition to the diversity of life on Earth, and Death Eaters would be a welcome addition to an elementary or middle school library.

​MORE TO COME!

This cool graphic is NOT from my book. It's from Pinterest page that's a little to graphic to share here. If you know who produced this fantastic image, let me know so I can ask permission to use it and share attribution. It's fntastic!

Shhhh! I'm not supposed to share this yet because it's not decided. But this was my favorite of six choices the art department came up with. They are brilliant, so whatever cover they select will be swell. But this makes me feel so excited! Can't wait for October of 2018.

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